ITHACA, N.Y. – The Friday doubleheader at Hoy Field featured starkly different games, but the Big Red baseball team came up short in both tilts against Princeton, losing 13-3 and 1-0. Cornell can still wrap up the Ivy League Lou Gehrig Division title by winning at least one game in Sunday's rematch doubleheader at Princeton's Clarke Field.
 
The Tigers pounded out 20 hitters in the opener, then eked out a one-run victory in a pitchers' duel of a nightcap. The teams combined for six hits in the second game, with the Big Red's Rick Marks taking the hard-luck loss after surrendering just one run on three hits in seven-plus innings.
 
Game 1 – Princeton 13, Cornell 3 – Box Score
Marshall Yanzick was 2-for-4 and scored a run, and Frank Hager striped his third home run of the season over the wall in left-center.
 
Hager's homer tied the game at 1 in the bottom of the second, but the Big Red had two runners in scoring position with two out later in the frame. JD Whetsel lined a ball that looked destined for extra bases down the left-field line, but Princeton third baseman Alex Flink made a diving stab for the lineout to keep the runs from scoring. The Tigers then countered with three runs in the top of third and never trailed from there, with everyone in the lineup getting at least one hit.
 
Yanzick scored the Big Red's second run in the third. He singled, then advanced to second a wild pitch. Brian Billigen followed up with a single to left to drive in Yanzick for his 101st career RBI. Princeton blew the game open with a seven-run sixth, then the Big Red capped the scoring in the seventh. Phil Mullan hit an RBI single through the right side with the bases loaded to plate Forrest Crawford.
 
Mike Ford threw 134 pitches for the complete-game victory, fanning six while scattering nine hits.
 
Game 2 –Princeton 1, Cornell 0 – Box Score
Zak Hermans tossed a three-hit shutout for the Tigers, striking out 14 batters while working around three walks.
 
The Tigers threatened right away with runners on first and second in the opening frame, but Marks got Ford to roll over a ball and groundout to retire the side.
 
The lone run came in the fourth inning. Ford singled with one out, then Steve Harrington hit a double down the right-field line. The strong arm of right fielder Chris Cruz prevented Ford from scoring on the play, but Ford came in to score on a sacrifice fly to the warning track by Tyler Servais.
 
Cornell's best threat came in the fifth inning. Kevin Tatum led off with a single, then advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Brandon Lee. Ben Swinford then hit a ball up the middle that the Tigers' shortstop flagged down behind second, but Swinford beat out the throw to first and gave the Big Red runners on the corners with one out. But Hermans escaped trouble with a pair of strikeouts.